A CAMPAIGNER has told council chiefs he is concerned for the safety of people with disabilities after a “growing number of hate crimes”.

Chandy Green received an outpouring of support recently after he spoke on social media of being laughed at in public because of his own disability.

He has restricted movement down one side of his body after having brain tumours removed – the first of them when he was three.

The 27-year-old has written to BCP Council expressing “my concern for the safety and welfare of disabled people across the conurbation”.

He wrote: “Over the course of the last few months, I have experienced a growing number of disability-related hate crimes. The impact of this has been an increase in anxiety and fear when leaving the house. After sharing when hate crimes have occurred online, I have been inundated with messages from others in the area who have been discriminated against because they are disabled.”

@chandydavid #dontscroll #disability #discrimination ♬ original sound - Chandy David

 

He added: “Bournemouth is the place I call home; I love it here. However, I am concerned that hate crimes and discrimination towards myself and other disabled people in the area will only increase if action is not taken soon and would really like to work with the council in achieving this.”

Nearly 26,000 people have viewed a video on the social media site TikTok in which Mr Green told how he had been reluctant to go out after being laughed at in Bournemouth.

More than 50 people recently walked between Bournemouth’s piers in a show of solidarity with him.

Councillor Bobbie Dove, BCP Council’s cabinet member for community safety, said in a statement: "We were very sorry to hear about the experiences of Mr Green and his contacts. We sympathise with him and condemn the behaviour he describes.”

She said the council worked on community safety through the area’s community safety partnership, whose top three priorities were the safety of vulnerable people, reducing violence and reducing antisocial behaviour.

The council is also a member of the partnership group Prejudice Free Dorset, whose website has a page on how to report hate crime, she said.

“We also work with and provide funding support to People First Forum to provide a specific support service to victims and witnesses of crime who have learning difficulties,” Cllr Dove added.

“We recognise that the reported incidents do not currently tell the whole story. Our community safety team monitor all forms of crime through police and partnership data, and this includes monitoring hate crime to identify trends and specific issues to inform our response. Alongside this, we work with our communities through our Communities Equality Champions Network to ensure we are raising awareness of hate crime issues, how to report and how to reach out to support.''